Chapter 26: Uchiha’s are not so great afterall

Words : 1626 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 26 - Uchiha's are not so great afterall As soon as Ren and Itachi's names were called, the students erupted in excitement. This was the fight everyone had been waiting for. It was no secret that Ren and Itachi were the two strongest in the class. Both were fast, skilled, and unpredictable and unlike the other fights, this one had a genuine air of suspense. Some students were even placing silent bets, while others especially the girls were watching closely since both fighters were also considered the most handsome in the class. Of course, neither Itachi nor Ren cared about that. As they stepped forward to the center of the field, their eyes met in understanding. There were no words needed they both knew what the other was capable of. With calm, precise movements, they formed the seal of confrontation and waited for Utakata's signal. For the first time, Utakata didn't silence the excited students he simply let the tension build before giving the command. "Begin." The moment the words left Utakata's mouth, both Ren and Itachi exploded into action. A blur of motion and steel, as they clashed midway, kunai meeting kunai. Sparks erupted as their blades scraped against each other in rapid succession. Their movements were fast, precise, and unrelenting, neither giving an inch. The air was filled with the sound of clashing metal, as they weaved, parried, and countered, moving at speeds that had the other students barely able to keep up. Suddenly, Ren flickered out of existence. Using Body Flicker, he reappeared directly behind Itachi, his kunai aiming for a clean strike. But Itachi, calm as ever, reacted instantly ducking, spinning, and countering with a high kick. Ren dodged and jumped back, landing gracefully but Itachi had already formed the Tiger seal. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Unlike Takeda's weak attempt, Itachi's fireball was faster, hotter, and perfectly controlled. Ren's eyes sharpened as the flames rushed toward him. He didn't waste time. With a flicker, he vanished and reappeared several meters away, dodging the fireball completely. But Itachi was already on the move. Itachi flicked his hand, and a barrage of shuriken filled the air, curving unnaturally toward Ren. Ren immediately weaved through them, dodging the ones he could and parrying the rest with his kunai. But Itachi had already read his movements. As soon as Ren landed, a kunai was flying straight for his blind spot. With no time to dodge, Ren did something unexpected he used Clone Jutsu. Two clones popped into existence, both rushing forward while Ren himself jumped back. Itachi narrowed his eyes. He immediately flicked two more shuriken, cutting through one clone instantly but the other clone dodged and kept moving forward. At the same time, Ren rushed from the side. Itachi prepared to counterattack, but then a sudden gust of wind from the remaining clone distracted him. It was just a basic blast of air from the dissipation of the other clone which was actually a wind clone, but it was enough to make Itachi hesitate for half a second. That was all Ren needed. His kunai plunged forward, aimed for Itachi's chest. Itachi instinctively raised his arm, blocking the strike but Ren had already activated Projectile Control. The direction of his hand holding kunai subtly shifted, bypassing Itachi's guard and heading straight for his heart. But Itachi wasn't done yet. At the last possible moment, his free hand shot up, intercepting the kunai. A sharp pain spread through his palm but he stopped the attack. A second later Ren felt a stabbing pain in his left arm. Itachi's kunai had found its mark. A sharp gasp spread through the watching students. For the first time, blood had been drawn. Ren and Itachi stared at each other, their injured hands bleeding, but neither reacted as they jumped back creating distance. They both knew the next exchange would decide the fight. Silently, they prepared. Ren's kunai began to glow, as he channeled Wind Chakra into its edge, sharpening it to the extreme. At the same time, Itachi began forming rapid hand signs, preparing a jutsu. Around him, several smaller fireballs began forming, hovering ominously in the air. The watching students held their breath. For a moment, the world stood still then, in an instant Ren threw his enhanced kunai, aiming for Itachi's head. At the same time, Itachi unleashed his flurry of fireballs, sending them flying toward Ren. The match was about to reach its climax— But suddenly, two figures flickered into the battlefield. Utakata himself flickered before Ren and water burst from his mouth forming a protective wall that completely neutralized the fireballs. At the same time, A man with black hair and sharp eyes appeared in front of Itachi and spit out a burst of fire, disintegrating Ren's kunai before it could reach Itachi. A moment of silence followed. Then, Utakata's voice rang out, as calm as ever. "The match is a tie." His eyes swept across the battlefield before explaining. "If Ren Takahashi's kunai had hit, Itachi Uchiha would have suffered severe cuts that could have damaged his chakra pathways. If Itachi's fireballs had landed, Ren Takahashi would have sustained third-degree burns across multiple body parts." The students were stunned. Many had forgotten to breathe during the last moments of the fight. Meanwhile, Ren's eyes flickered toward the man who had protected Itachi. Before flickering away, the man gave him another glance an unmistakable Uchiha gaze. Ren narrowed his eyes. But before he could think further, Utakata stepped forward. "The next match—step forward." And just like that, the fight was over. As soon as Utakata dismissed the fight, the students began chatting excitedly about the fights, their performances, and the upcoming results. Eiji was still buzzing with excitement, practically bouncing in place as he turned to Ren. "That was so cool! You could've won if sensei hadn't intervened!" Ren gave a wry smile. He wasn't so sure. Itachi was a monster in his own right, and even though Ren had managed to injure him, the fight could have gone either way. But what bothered him the most wasn't the outcome—it was why Utakata and that Uchiha had intervened in the first place. 'Were they really worried about injuries? Or was there something else?' He made a mental note to ask Utakata about it later. As they stood in line, an academy instructor approached Ren, stopping in front of him. "Stand still. I'll heal your arm." The man formed a quick set of hand signs, and a soft green glow appeared around his hand. Ren felt a cool, soothing sensation spread through his arm as the torn muscles began knitting themselves back together. "It was just a flesh wound, nothing serious," the instructor said after finishing. "But if you feel any discomfort later, come to the infirmary." "Understood. Thank you." Ren replied with a nod. The instructor nodded back and moved toward Itachi, who was also receiving the same treatment. Ren watched for a moment before turning back to the field. The rest of the fights soon came to an end, but there was an unexpected development. During her match with Hitoshi, Izumi Uchiha activated her Sharingan. The other students were stunned. Even Itachi hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, so to see Izumi someone no one expected be the first to awaken it was a huge shock. Ren narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the single tomoe spinning in her left eye. 'So... the first Sharingan user of our generation appears.' While he wasn't obsessed with the Uchiha's legendary dojutsu, he couldn't deny its power. But despite activating her Sharingan, Izumi still lost to Hitoshi. Her defeat wasn't because of a lack of skill or abalities it was because she was terrified of bugs. Whenever Hitoshi's insects got too close, she would panic and make reckless moves, allowing him to control the pace of the fight until she was forced to surrender. 'A powerful dojutsu is useless if fear controls you.' Ren thought to himself. By the time the last match concluded, most of the hidden observers had disappeared. Only a few remained, likely waiting to give their final evaluations before leaving. Utakata then stepped forward, his usual calm, unreadable expression on his face. "The practical exam is over. Your results have been recorded, and you will know them soon." His gaze swept across the students, stopping briefly on a few individuals. "Many of you have given an impressive performance." Ren noticed his eyes linger on him, Itachi, Eiji, Hitoshi, and a few others. "But some of you were... disappointing." This time, Utakata's gaze hardened as he looked at Takeda, Izumi, and a few others who had underperformed. 'Ouch.' Ren thought, watching Takeda's face twist in humiliation and Izumi's in embarrassment. 'Guess that Uchiha pride is taking a hit.' Utakata didn't dwell on the moment for long as he continued. "Tomorrow is a holiday. Rest well." "When you return the day after tomorrow, you will find out whether you are receiving a reward or... a punishment." There was a heavy silence after those words. The implication was clear If you had impressed the right people, you'd be rewarded. If you had disappointed them, you'd be punished. After letting that sink in, Utakata finally gave the signal. "Dismissed." {A/N:- So what do you think of the fight. I'll explain the intervention in the next Chapter so don't worry} {Fact:- Izumi awakened her sharingan during the nine tails attack when she saw her dad die}

Chapter 26: Uchiha’s are not so great afterall

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